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Pensacola area gets nearly a million dollars for homeless

May 2, 2013

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan today awarded $4,242,304 in a second round of grants to support18 local homeless housing and service programs in Florida. Provided through HUD’s Continuum of Care programs, funding announced today will ensure these HUD-assisted local homeless assistance programs remain operating in the coming year.

“We know these modest investments in housing and serving our homeless neighbors not only saves money, but saves lives,” said Donovan. “These local programs are on the front lines of the Obama Administrations efforts to prevent and end homelessness as we know it once and for all.”

HUD’s Continuum of Care grants are awarded competitively to local projects to meet the needs of their homeless clients. The grants fund a wide variety of programs from street outreach and assessment programs to transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons and families. HUD funds are a critical part of the Obama Administration’s strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness.

“This funding is critical to Florida programs that are on the front lines of helping those who might otherwise be living on our streets,” said Ed Jennings, Jr., HUD Southeast Regional Administrator. “The evidence is clear that every dollar we spend on those programs that help find a stable home for our homeless neighbors not only saves money but quite literally saves lives. This investment is another installment in this Administration’s effort to meet the President’s historic goal of ending homelessness.”

While the Fiscal Year 2012 funds awarded today are not impacted by the automatic across-the-board budget cuts under sequestration that began March 1st, Donovan cautioned that future budget cuts may reverse significant reported declines in homelessness: “During this challenging budget climate, we must make certain that we don’t balance our books on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens. When we make even modest investments in these programs, we see a measureable decline in homelessness.”

HUD’s Continuum of Care grants announced today will continue offering permanent and transitional housing to homeless persons as well as services including job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and child care. Continuum of Care grants are awarded competitively to local programs to meet the needs of their homeless clients. These grants fund a wide variety of programs from street outreach and assessment programs to transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons and families.

In 2010, President Obama and 19 federal agencies and offices that form the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) launched the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness puts the country on a path to end veterans and chronic homelessness by 2015 and to ending homelessness among children, family, and youth by 2020.